First Look: Alberta Ferretti Fall 2011

The phrase “day to night” has become overused. Let’s face it, wearing the same dress morning through evening is not so revolutionary. What does feel new, to Alberta Ferretti at least, is the idea of occasion-appropriate clothes. What a woman wears to the office should look—and, perhaps more importantly, feel—different from what she wears for cocktails and what she wears for dinner. It’s maybe a more expensive way to dress, but with her fall collection, Ferretti is giving women with means the option.

For the most part, her silhouette stays the same throughout: a structured single-breasted coat with a tunic and slim pants (a refrain we’ve heard many times this season) or just the coat paired with over-the-knee boots. Before six o’clock, the ensemble should be worn in gray flannel. Afterwards, sequins, embroidery, velvet, fur, and geometric prints come out to play. As for the designer’s signature flounce, it will be represented on the runway, just not as prominently.

This is all very in the vein of how Ferretti herself dresses, as evidenced by the all-black turtleneck, sleeveless tunic, and slim-pant ensemble she worked in the day before her show. And for her, like many other women, what she puts on is as much physical as it is psychological. It’s not just about costume changes (though that part is appealing), it’s about, to employ another overused phrase, living in the now. “I change the dress because I change my mood and the situation,” she said. “For me it’s very important to cancel out the work part of the day and [afterwards] go in a new direction.”